Industrial gases such as CO2, H2S, N2, O2, H2, He, Ar, air and other gases, and hydrocarbon gases such as methane, ethane, propane, ethylene and other hydrocarbon gases, or mixtures of gases, are traditionally liquefied utilizing refrigeration cycles based on well-known Carnot refrigeration or Turbo-Expander cycles. The cryogenic temperatures achieved during these industrial processes which enable liquefaction can require complex cascaded refrigeration cycles that are capital, energy, and operating cost intensive.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for alternative methods of liquefying industrial and hydrocarbon gases or gas mixtures that may be relatively energy efficient, economical and practical to implement.